801 975 7575
  • Garage Doors
    • Residential
      • Repair
      • Installation
    • Commercial
      • Repair
      • Installation
    • Garage Door Openers
      • Garage Door Opener Repair
  • Exterior Doors
    • Entry Doors
    • Security Doors
    • Storm Doors
    • Design Your Door
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Book an Appointment
    • Financing
  • Garage Doors
    • Residential
      • Repair
      • Installation
    • Commercial
      • Repair
      • Installation
    • Garage Door Openers
      • Garage Door Opener Repair
  • Exterior Doors
    • Entry Doors
    • Security Doors
    • Storm Doors
    • Design Your Door
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Book an Appointment
    • Financing

Selecting Between Right- and Left-Handed Doors EXTENDED

right left handed doors

If you’ve decided to replace a door in your home, whether an entry door, security door or any other type, you have several important choices to make. Door material, door size and door color are all vital areas to consider, and may have a significant impact on both home value and practical use.

At Price’s Guaranteed Doors, we’re proud to offer a wide variety of entry doors and other door types for you to choose from, plus expertise on the important factors in this choice. One extremely simple area, yet one that often doesn’t receive enough attention during door selection? Whether you want a right-handed or left-handed door. Let’s dig into what we mean by this and what you need to consider in this area.

Telling Them Apart

Choosing between right- and left-handed doors comes with some of the same factors as choosing between inswing and outswing doors, but with a few important differences as well. There are a couple different ways you can figure out whether a current door in your home is a right-handed or left-handed door:

  • Stand with your back facing your door, specifically against the hinged side of the door jam. If the door opens to your right from this angle, you have a right-handed door. If it opens to the left, you have a left-handed door.
  • Stand on the side of the door that swings away from you, facing the door. Hold up your hands, mimicking hinges with your wrists and the door itself with your palms. If the your right hand mimics the way the door swings, you have a right-handed door. If it’s the left, vice-versa.

When placing an order for a door, you will have to specify not only the right- or left-handed nature of it, but also whether it swings inward or outward.

In many cases, however, this process is actually far simpler and doesn’t require these tests. Rather, you will simply use the door swing direction code that’s already present to guide you here – for instance, if you’re buying a door over the phone or online, knowing this door swing direction code will be very important.

Why It Matters

In many cases, the handedness of your door only really matters for personal preference reasons. But in other cases – such as when you have an obstruction on one side or the other, or when opening space is limited by some other factor – it can be very important and impact functionality. When obstructions are present, you should be placing hinges on that side of the door, allowing it to open against a wall so there’s plenty of walking space.

In addition, consider the direction from which you approach the door. Stairs or other notable areas near the door area may impact the direction you want the hinges to face.

Rough Opening Considerations

What if you’re dealing with a rough opening while selecting your door? For those who are unaware, the term “rough opening” refers to a space that exists in a framed wall that’s available for a door or window to be installed, but has not had any previous installation within it. Rough openings are most common while performing new construction or a room addition.

If you’re looking to install a new door in a rough opening space and aren’t sure which handed door to choose, the important factor here is home layout. If the door is inside and you want it to swing inward, it will typically open into the wall closest to the hinge – this leaves space open in the room when the door is open, so it isn’t in the way. Whichever direction the hinges are within the room you plan to install this door in will dictate your left- or right-handed door selection.

Reversing Swing Direction

If you need to reverse the handedness of your door, this is often possible without a replacement or additional hassle. You will have to change the way the hinges and strike plate of the door are placed, plus reverse the hardware placement. If you aren’t experienced in this field, we might recommend leaving this to professionals for a high-quality, safe job.

Limiting Left-Handed Door Concerns

There are a few situations where a left-handed door specifically may cause a few potential issues or concerns. For bathroom entries commonly used by older adults, for instance, opening in a way that leaves space open is vital – in some such settings, a left-handed door would not be a safe option.

In some cases, this sort of situation or others like it might allow for you to simply install a left-hand outswing door. But if you’re in a compact area within the home, door swing direction codes tend to require that all interior doors swing inward – meaning you have to simply find the space or consider a different setup.

One solution that’s often considered in this situation is known as a pocket door, a sliding door that’s able to disappear into an adjacent wall. While these are commonly used for architectural and aesthetic purposes, they’re also ideal practically for those in this sort of situation. In cases where a left- or right-handed door is strongly preferred but space makes that choice impossible, the pocket door is often a great alternative.

For more on whether you want a right- or left-handed door, or to learn about any of our entry doors, garage doors or other services, speak to the staff at Price’s Guaranteed Doors today.

Recent Posts

Door and Other Tips for Holiday Home Security

While it’s a reality no one is thrilled about, the fact is that burglaries, thefts and related crimes tend to go up during the winter, and especially around the holiday season we’re currently in. Whether due to the need of many being felt a bit more heavily during this time of the year or some

Techniques for Locating and Repairing Entry Door Air Leaks

At Price’s Guaranteed Doors, we’re proud to offer the highest-quality entry doors and exterior doors you can find in Utah. We stock industry-leading brands like Masonite, ODL and Thermatru, bringing you several door types, sidelight styles and numerous other options. We’re also happy to provide expertise and tips when it comes to maintaining your entry

Garage Door Upkeep Tips for the Fall Season

At Price’s Guaranteed Doors, we’re proud to serve as your one-stop shop when it comes to residential and commercial garage doors. We offer a wide range of garage door service options, available 24/7 for any issues that may arise and cause problems with door operation, aesthetics or any other factor. We’re also happy to offer

Contact Us

3180 S 460 W, Salt Lake City, UT, 84115
(801) 975 7575
info@pricesdoors.com

ABOUT

Price’s Guaranteed Doors focuses on quality and timeliness. We offer quality assurance for all garage door installations we do by up to one (1) year. Found a deal elsewhere? We’ll beat it by up to $50. These are the guarantees we give to customers.

SERVICES

Residential Garage Doors
Commercial Garage Doors
Security Doors
Entry Doors
Windows

AREAS SERVED

Bountiful
Draper
Eagle Mountain
Herriman
Holladay
Kearns
Layton
Lehi
Midvale
Millcreek
Murray
Ogden
Orem
Provo
Riverton
Roy
Salt Lake City
Sandy
South Jordan
Spanish Fork
Taylorsville
West Jordan
West Valley
Bountiful
Draper
Herriman
Holladay
Layton
Midvale
Murray
Ogden
Orem
Provo
Sandy
South Jordan
Taylorsville
West Jordan
West Valley

Website built by SEO Werkz

Sitemap

|

Privacy Policy